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Use the Library Travel Section

Use the local Library Travel
Section to do your basic research on traveling
especially if is your first trip. Most libraries have plenty of
travel books and DVDs. They contain items from all the major travel
magazines, guidebook publishers and many other travel
books.

Everything in the library is free for
the price of a library card.

I never, ever buy
a travel DVD. They are way too expensive. They are all down
at the library travel area for me to browse and choose the best. I usually buy
the guidebooks, at least two, for the area I going to. I watched the
DVDs and take notes.

There is an exception; I usually buy the older series
of DVDs for a given year or years from Rick
Steve’s Library Travel Series. He will have all of his DVDs from one or more
seasons in a large set for a great price. Check the Rick Steve’s
link below for details.

I usually pencil in notes in the margins of the travel guide pages that I will be using for that particular part of the trip. That way all
information I need during the trip is in one place, ready for me to
access.

You can browse through all the guidebooks and
pick the ones that best works for you.

Remember not all libraries are the
same. Go to as many libraries and library systems as
possible and find out which are the best. I found that large
cities and cities with large commercial supporters have the best
travel sections. (Deep pockets have their advantages.)

Lonely Planet is
based in Sydney, Australia. I like it because its focuses on the
whole world. Australians make good travelers. Their journeys
usually take one to two years, while they go around the world.
They are constantly finding new ways to expand their experience
and make their money last. Great insights. Great tips. Thoroughly well written guidebook.

Rick Steves' Europe is
based in Seattle, Washington and deals mostly with Europe. Rick's
writing style makes it feel like you're getting great travel
advice from your best friend. His book, Europe Through the Back
Door, completely concurs with my own travel experiences. I
consider it required reading for any European Travel. It pays for
itself a thousand times over.

Let's
Go Guidebook is a Harvard Student based guide. I used their guidebooks religiously in my travels in Europe during the 1970's. Its young,
student abroad viewpoint and observations made it easy for me to
hitchhike from Portugal to Ireland to Turkey back to my university
in Reutlingen, Germany where I was an exchange student. It's like
getting the inside story from your roommate at college.

Frommer's Guides is a
common sense based guide that started the Cheap Travel Craze
way back in the 1956. It was the best selling Europe on $5 a Day.
Today, Arthur Frommer's guidebooks are the world's best sellers. Well
written and full of fun facts. I consider his magazine, Budget
Travel, a must subscribe to.

Rough Guides is based in
London. It covers the world. I consider the English to be some of
the world's best travelers, and these guidebooks show it. The
guidebooks are sometime hard to find in the United States.

Moon
Guides is Berkeley based and covers North and
South America. They are well written and timely. I've used them
for my trips to Brazil and Chile and had a great time.

Fodor's
Guides is what I call a perfect guidebook for the
Middle Class, family based traveler. It focuses on Europe and is
surprisingly thorough. It will show you a good time and keep you
comfortable, too.

DK Eyewitness Guides - I used these for my
trips to London including its museums.

If you're going to read any section of a guidebook,
read the pages about cultural and religious norms.

-
It's remarkable how just a bit of culturally specific
information can help you avoid misunderstandings. Rolf
Potts

2. Best Library Travel Magazines

Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel
Magazine Subscribe to this awesome
travel magazine right now. Each issue is a blessing with timely
information including travel tips, road trips, destination pieces,
and great budget tour offerings.

Transitions
Abroad was THE magazine for living abroad. It was a
sad day when they discontinued the magazine to concentrate on the
website. The Website is a must for long term travel and living in
other countries. Great tips. Timely advice. Much need support for
us innocents abroad.

Wanderlust Magazine.
It advertises itself as the world's most exciting travel magazine.
I agree. Again, I believe the English to be some of the world's
best travelers. Wanderlust magazine showcases great travel like no
other. I love it. It has articles on Health, Travel Advice,
Columns, Interviews, Lists, Routes, Reviews, Trip planners,
Events, Hot Offers.

Lonely Planet
Magazine. This is a brand new travel magazine brought to
you by the same wonderful people who bring you the Lonely Planet
guide book series. Lonely Planet Magazine showcases itself as a
monthly magazine for people who love to travel and enjoy new
experiences. It's easier to subscribe to than Wanderlust Magazine,
since it's published here in the US. I think it will be a great
source of travel info far into the future.

3. Travel Books, a sample.

Simply read the "How to Travel" section of any guide book
(above.)

Rick Steves' Europe Through the Back
Door completely concurs with my own travel
experiences. I consider it required reading for any European
Travel. His advice and insight are punctuated his great sense of
humor.

Vagabonding by Rolf Potts is the ‘travel insiders' kind of book. Here's
the book you want to buy if you're a fed up with life (or even if
you're not) and just want to walk out that door and travel,
travel, travel. Great insights and better advice from someone who
vagabonds for a living.